Friday, January 29, 2016

The Fall of Lord Drayson

Who is he really? A high and mighty Lord, or a lowly servant?

When Colin Cavendish, the new earl of Drayson, informs Lucy Beresford that she and her mother have two months to vacate the house they've called home for the past two years, Lucy is fit to be tied.They have no money, no relations they can turn to for help, and nowhere to go. How dare the earl break the promise his father had made to the Beresfords without so much as a twinge of conscience?

Mere hours later, Lucy discovers the earl unconscious and injured in the middle of the road. Grudgingly, she takes him into her home to tend to his wounds, but when he awakens with no recollection of who he is, Lucy seizes the opportunity to teach a much-needed lesson in humility. Pushing her own twinge of conscience aside, she informs the earl of Drayson that he is nothing more than a mere servant. Her servant, in fact.

And thus begins the charming tale of a pompous lord and an impetuous young woman, caught together in a web so tangled that it begs the question: Will they ever get out?

Coming late-summer 2016

Author Rachael Anderson

A USA Today bestselling author, Rachael Anderson is the mother of four and is pretty good at breaking up fights, or at least sending guilty parties to their rooms. She can't sing, doesn't dance, and despises tragedies. But she recently figured out how yeast works and can now make homemade bread, which she is really good at eating.

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

Book Synopsis:Alone in his jail cell, Christian receives a midnight visitation from a beautiful stranger. She is the messiah and tasks him with solving a series of spiritual mysteries in order to save his immortal soul... Atmospheric, dreamlike, unpredictable and wise, Gospel Prism is the dazzling debut novel from Gerald Weaver which brings into focus the relationship between literature, language, truth and religious faith.

'Gospel Prism is a remarkable, charming but disturbing novel with an intriguing premise.' Harold Bloom, Sterling Professor of Humanities, Yale University

'Weaver's Gospel Prism is lit by a literary wit and the intricate knowledge that at the end, as in the beginning, there is the word.' Jonathan Levi, author and co-founder of GRANTA

Gerald Weaver received his bachelor's degree from Yale University and Juris Doctor degree from Catholic University. He has been a Capitol Hill chief of staff, a campaign manager, a lobbyist, a single father, a teacher of English and Latin, a collector and seller of Chinese antiquities and a contributor to the political magazine, George. He lives in the suburbs of Washington, DC, and travels regularly between the United Kingdom and the US. Gospel Prism is his first novel.

His experience of reading challenging literature in order to survive a dark place served as a provocation for this sensitive, atmospheric, dreamlike, compassionate, unpredictable and wise debut novel which brings into focus the relationship between literature, language, truth and religious faith.

Thursday, January 28, 2016

That Girl, Darcy: A Pride & Prejudice Story, by James Ramos
2015, 281p, YA Contemporary Romance
My Rating=3.5 Stars
Source: Received a copy from eBooks for Review for an honest review

IT IS A TRUTH UNIVERSALLY ACKNOWLEDGED that geeky guys never get to date the pretty girls with permanent scowls.

To Elliott Bennett, life is simple. It’s all parties, skateboarding, and arguing over who would win in a fight between Hulk and Superman with his friends. It’s his senior year, and he wants nothing more than to soak up his final year of freedom before real life begins.

That is, until Darcy Fitzwilliam and her best friend Bridget move in to the only mansion in the neighborhood. When Elliot meets Darcy at a party, he finds out that she isn’t into skateboarding (which he lives for), she hates science-fiction (which he loves), and she thinks his friends are a pack of morons (which, honestly, might be half true)—and yet, there’s something irritatingly intriguing about her.

When Elliot’s cousin Jake starts to date her friend Bridget, it complicates Elliot’s plans to ignore the scowling Darcy for the rest of the year. Why is Darcy so . . . ugh? Elliott doesn’t know, but for some reason, is determined to find out—even if she doesn’t know the difference between Star Trek and Star Wars.

This sounded like a fun read--P&P with a twist. The main character is male this time and they're in high school. Elliott is a senior, looking forward to his final year of high school. He meets Darcy at a party and she blows him off. When she starts attending his school, he's prepared to ignore her but other relationships that develop make that difficult to do.Elliott is likable from the beginning. He describes himself as average and a geek since he knows more about fictional galaxies than real ones. His parents are after him to make a plan with his life but he's dragging his feet. Some of his friends are obsessed with girls and he's the voice of reason among them (their conversations annoyed me for the most part).Darcy was mysterious and didn't seem interested in making friends. After Elliott's first encounter with her, his thoughts were that she was rude, stuck up, condescending and scarily pretty. When Elliott met a former friend of hers, she also appeared to be petty and mean. Of course, there's more to her than that and we saw the different sides to her as the story progressed.This book started out a bit slow but did pick up about halfway through. The author did a good job capturing teen angst and drama. It was a fun take on a well-known and well-loved story!

James Ramos was born in St. Paul, Minnesota, the oldest of four siblings. He wrote his first story at age nine and counts Frank Herbert’s Dune as his biggest influence. He currently lives in Phoenix, Arizona, where he is studying English. He is a self-proclaimed “dorkasaurus,” and has a roommate (who is a cat). He is almost never without a sonic screwdriver.

Wednesday, January 27, 2016

The Captive, by Julie Coulter Bellon
2015, 250p, Clean Romantic Suspense
My Rating=5 Stars
Source: Received a copy from the author for an honest review

Former Navy SEAL Jake Williams is the newly appointed head of a task force assigned to rescue a kidnapped American diplomat. Their only hope is Mya Amari, the daughter of a notorious Algerian hostage negotiator, but she is full of secrets and complications–something Jake takes as a personal challenge. As they grow closer, the threat to the mission escalates and time runs out for the hostages. Can Jake unravel the web of deception to save them all without getting caught in the crossfire?

Mya Amari has been in hiding nearly her entire life to escape her father’s enemies. But when her sister is kidnapped along with an American diplomat, she’ll do anything to bring her home–including walking into the enemy’s lair. She doesn’t trust anyone, especially the too-handsome-for-his-own-good Commander Williams, but when all her careful plans explode out of control, he’s the only one she can turn to with the truth about her family. Is it too little, too late?

Julie Coulter Bellon is one of my favorite authors so I was excited to learn she was writing a new series! I love her books because I know there will be action, suspense, drama, romance, fantastic dialogue, and it will be clean! This book delivered in all those areas. Jake is a former Navy SEAL heading a group charged with the task of rescuing an American diplomat who was kidnapped. Mya is the daughter of a hostage negotiator who they're hoping will help them. Mya is a bit upset at first that she's kept out of the loop and she's a bit hostile towards Jake. She's also keeping a huge secret that would make a difference in how Jake handled this assignment. Jake was easy to like right away. He's handsome, smart and capable. He had personal issues with another member of his team that he needed to sort through. He came off a little brusque towards Mya, though, so he had to channel more of his kind sister, Chivonn, to get Mya to open up to him. I wasn't a huge fan of Mya's at first. She was uptight and upset that she wasn't included in the briefings so she was cold towards Jake. She did grow on me as she warmed up to the team and I learned more about her life and family relationships.This book felt like a scenario that could truly happen in real life. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough or put it down until I knew how it ended. I enjoyed getting to know the members of the team and was excited to learn that her next book will involve one of them!

Julie Coulter Bellon is married with eight children and eleven published books. She loves to travel and her favorite cities she's visited so far are probably Athens, Paris, Ottawa, and London. She would love to visit Hawaii, Australia, Ireland, and Scotland someday. She loves to read, write, teach, watch Castle, Hawaii Five-O, and eat Canadian chocolate. Not necessarily in that order.

It’s been 100 years since the Specters invaded Earth. Like ghosts they haunt the planet, devouring any human being foolish enough to venture outside of the last remaining protected cities. For some humans, venturing out isn’t a choice–it’s an opportunity to prove yourself to your clan. But when a coterie of New Adults undertaking a mission deep in Specter territory discover a terrible secret, they quickly find that everything they’ve learned may be wrong … and Earth is in grave danger.

Skye took a deep breath, held it, then forced it out quickly between her pursed lips. The loud whistle seemed ear-splitting, jolting her nerves — too late to change her mind now, she twisted her body, her boots digging into the gravel as she fell back and faced the farming contraptions. She lifted her rifle, seeing the Specter’s strange glow change, move, and then without warning its crocodile face emerged from the body of the large machine. Its mouth opened. Cleo fell back, screaming. A claw phased through, reaching out for Skye.

She fired her rifle. The blue proton bullet tore through the creature’s arm, sending yellow sparks fluttering like butterflies into the air. The Specter’s mouth opened wide, revealing sharp, finger-length teeth, so close that Skye could see their serrated edges.

BookBlast Giveaway

$50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash

Ends 2/15/16

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

In this Regency twist of My Fair Lady, Jack would rather be at sea than fixing the mistakes of his grandfather, the late Earl of Stansworth. Instead, he finds that inheriting his grandfather's wealth and title—and securing the welfare of his sister and mother—means joining the ranks of high society and living with the aristocracy. Luckily, Ivy Carlisle, the granddaughter of a dear friend of Jack's late grandmother, is willing to teach him etiquette and properly introduce him into society. Jack soon learns that his challenge isn't surviving his new lifestyle but surviving the conspiracies against him—as well as keeping himself from falling madly in love with his new tutor.

Jack Elliot is a seaman months away from captaining his own merchant vessel. His grandfather, the Earl of Stansworth, is on his deathbed and has requested to meet with Jack. When Jack's father married his mother, his grandfather disinherited him. Jack's family was left penniless with mounds of debt when his father passed away. His grandfather wants Jack to become his heir rather than have his nephew inherit everything. Jack isn't interested until it's brought to his attention that this will help his mother and sister.Ivy Carlisle is the granddaughter of Olivia Carlisle, the best friend of Jack's late grandmother. Olivia encourages Ivy to take Jack on as a client of sorts to teach him proper behavior so he will be accepted in society. Ivy agrees to it and has no idea what's in store.There are some great characters in this story! I loved Olivia, or Nana. She's full of life and doesn't mind shaking things up a bit. Ivy is proper but her family has recently endured a scandal involving her older sister so she doesn't feel that she's worthy to find a love match for herself. Jack is rough but has a soft heart when it comes to his mother, Mary, and sister, Sophia. Mary and Sophia have had many hardships in their lives and are adjusting to high society. There are lots of other characters that helped shape the story and were fun to get to know.I loved this book! I loved how it was My Fair Lady in reverse, the chemistry between Jack and Ivy, the characters, the story, the writing, and that it's clean! I wasn't ready for it to end and would love more of Sophia's story. I have loved all the books in the Proper Romance line and this one was no exception. I'm looking forward to reading the next one!

Nancy Campbell Allen is the author of 12 published novels and several novellas, which encompass a variety of genres from contemporary romantic suspense to historical fiction. Her Civil War series, Faith of our Fathers, won the Utah Best of State award in 2005 and two of her historicals featuring Isabelle Webb, Pinkerton spy, were finalists for the Whitney Award. Her newest Regency romance, My Fair Gentleman, will be released from Shadow Mountain January, 2016, and her steampunk novel, Beauty and the Clockwork Beast, will be released also through Shadow Mountain later in 2016. She served on the 2015 LDStorymakers Conference Committee and currently serves as the marketing coordinator for The Teen Writers Confrerence. She has presented at numerous conferences and events since her initial publication in 1999.

Her formal schooling includes a B.S. in Elementary Education from Weber State University and she has worked as a ghost writer and freelance editor, contributing to the recent release, We Knew Howard Hughes, by Jim Whetton.

Nancy served as the Teen Writers Conference chair in 2011 and 2012, and has presented at numerous conferences and events since her initial publication in 1999 with Covenant Communications. Her agent is Pam Van Hylckama Vlieg of D4EO Literary Agency.

Nancy loves to read, write, travel and research, and enjoys spending time laughing with family and friends. She and her husband have three children, and she lives in Ogden, Utah with her family and one very large Siberian Husky named Thor.

Monday, January 25, 2016

Lost King, by H.B. Moore
2015, 338p, Historical Fiction/Suspense
My Rating=5 Stars
Source: Received a copy from eBooks for Review for an honest review

Undercover agent Omar Zagouri has been ordered to Giza. A prominent Egyptologist was murdered, and a priceless artifact—the only complete version of the Book of the Dead—is missing. Omar is still reeling from the recent disappearance of his girlfriend, Mia Golding, but he puts his quest to find her on hold to track down the lost piece of history.

Omar’s mission is not just to locate the sacred book; he must also rescue the two archaeologists kidnapped and forced to translate its hieroglyphics under threat of death. Their kidnapper is determined to discover the text’s rumored explosive revelation: that Moses did not receive the Ten Commandments from God but instead copied them from the Egyptians. Though Omar’s need to find Mia grows more urgent, he must focus on finding the enemy who will stop at nothing to ignite a controversy that will change history, and the world, forever.

I loved the first book in this series (you can read my review here) so my expectations were high going into this one. I'm glad to say that I wasn't disappointed and loved this one, too!Once again, this book starts out with three storylines and it took a while to figure out what was happening. Two of them are modern times and they end up merging together. The third is about Hatshepsut, a female Pharoah, and starts in 1490 BC.The modern-day storylines are about an undercover agent named Omar Zagouri and his girlfriend, Mia Golding. Omar is on his way to an awards dinner in Tel Aviv when he gets a phone call that there was a bomb threat at the hotel and he needs to escort a guest to the airport. Things get crazy and when the dust settles, he learns that Mia has disappeared so he is willing to do whatever he needs to in order to find her. In the second storyline, two archaeologists, Kale and Farrah, are kidnapped to translate some ancient scrolls and Omar is sent to rescue them. There are dangerous people who want the scrolls authenticated so they can figure out which church is most willing to keep them secret.We learn the story of Hatshepsut and how she became the female Pharoah. It was an uphill battle for her since women weren't supposed to be interested in the things she was, like architecture and military strategy. Her story fascinated me! I was especially interested to see how her story would tie in to Omar's mission. This book is fast-paced and hard to put down. There is a wide variety of characters and I enjoyed getting to know them all, whether they were good or bad. I love how this series brings Egyptian history to life and am looking forward to reading more!

H.B. Moore is the USA Today bestselling and award-winning author of more than a dozen historical novels set in ancient Arabia and Mesoamerica. She attended the Cairo American College in Egypt and the Anglican International School in Jerusalem and received her bachelor of science degree from Brigham Young University. She writes historical thrillers under the pen name H.B. Moore, and romance and women’s fiction under the name Heather B. Moore. It can be confusing, so her kids just call her Mom.

Seventeen-year-old Adrielle doesn’t believe in magic; she merely possesses it, though no one has ever mentioned that her unusual gifts—exceptional speed, a flair for fire, and an intimate knowledge of flora—aren’t things she was born with. When Adrielle starts a fire that burns down the family home, she must deal with both her grief and her siblings’ hurtful rejection.

While journeying to far away Tallinyne, in search of her older, estranged sister—the only relative who might take her in—Adrielle is separated from her escort when the carriage is beset by thieves. Alone, she is thrust into a dangerous and unfamiliar world where she encounters fairies and gypsies, a wild boar, a drunk cook, and an evil queen whose curse is sweeping death across the land. Adrielle also finds love, falling hard for a kind, funny, handsome—and completely unavailable prince.

From the glowing pearls tucked beneath her mattress and keeping her awake at night, to Queen Nadamaris’s curse that seems to thwart Adrielle’s every effort, Adrielle struggles to navigate a world of magic she never imagined, where people she knows and loves are not always what they appear to be. With the glowing pearls—and her fondest desire—within her grasp, she is forced to make a choice no girl should ever have to—satisfying her own heart or saving the kingdom.

Michele Paige Holmes spent her childhood and youth in Arizona and northern California, often curled up with a good book instead of out enjoying the sunshine. She graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in Elementary Education, and found it an excellent major in which to indulge her love of children's literature.

Her first novel, COUNTING STARS (Covenant Communications 2007), won the 2007 Whitney Award for best romance. The sequel, a romantic suspense titled, ALL THE STARS IN HEAVEN (Covenant 2009), was a Whitney finalist, as was her first historical romance, CAPTIVE HEART (Covenant 2011). MY LUCKY STARS (Covenant 2012) completed the Stars series.

In October 2014 Michele launched the Hearthfire historical romance line with the publication of SAVING GRACE (Mirror Press 2014). The companion novel, LOVING HELEN (Mirror Press 2015) was released in February 2015. A third book about this same family, MARRYING CHRISTOPHER, will be published in summer 2015, with another historical to follow later this year.

Michele has been a member of the same critique group for over fifteen years and feels that joining a critique group is the single best thing an author can to do help improve his or her writing. She has been a member of RWA and URWA, LDStorymakers, and The League of Utah Writers. Michele enjoys both attending and teaching at conferences.

When not reading or writing romance, Michele is busy with her full time job as a wife and mother. She and her husband live in Utah with their five high maintenance children and a Shitzu that resembles a teddy bear, in a house with a wonderful view of the mountains.

1. What is your motivation behind Tevanon and Kensic: Turlot? Why did you want to write it?

I wrote a short story about these characters when I was in college, back in 1995, and then converted it to a short (film) screenplay. Tevanon and Kensic were adults in those versions, but I always thought it would make a cool young adult adventure if the brothers were younger. And so, nearly twenty years later I rewrote it into a novel in that vision. I may be somewhat bias, but I think I was right; it does make for a cool young adult adventure!

Tevanon barged into the hut, his long brown hair swaying over his burgundy tunic that hung below the waist of his goat hide pants. He was big for thirteen, already taller than most grown men and easily as strong. Tevanon was molded after his father who was a huge man with great physical strength. “Uncle Yelob!” he shouted. “Can we practice sword fighting?”

Many things caused Tevanon’s temper to flare. Cheating was one of those things, and so was a slandering comment about one of his family members. Ecrom knew this and did it on purpose. He was rather devious and malicious when it came to getting Tevanon into trouble, and mostly because he was jealous of the younger boy’s size and abilities. One of those abilities was hand-to-hand combat; Tevanon grabbed Ecrom and hurled him haphazardly. Ecrom crashed down at the feet of his father and looked up. “Tevanon has lost his temper again, father!”

Avor, Wix and Hedik surveyed the dead brigands in hopes of finding one of them alive so as they could question him. As they meandered through the scattered bodies, they found men from every nation, men of light skin and dark, short of stature and tall, and the weapons they carried were equally assorted. The question, of course, was what brought together this reckless collection of thugs and criminals? What was their purpose?

Deep within the haunted caverns of Dezvil, well beyond the jurisdiction of men, there was said to be the sacred place of the sorcerers who ruled the land thousands of years ago. No living person dared journey to this place, not without the protection of a powerful spell cast by a powerful sorcerer. But all of the powerful sorcerers had vanished, either killed or too old to live, and not one of them had yet found the pathway back to the living. Or so was thought, until now.

Tevanon drew his sword at the man’s first word. He could see the vague outline of a person sitting against one of the twisted trees. He didn’t appear threatening, but Tevanon was taught to error on the side of caution.

Tevanon shrugged as a woman darted out from the darkness. Her dress was torn and tattered, her hair unbound and tangled, and mud was splattered across her legs and bare feet. She met eyes with Tevanon. “Help me, please!” Her cry was desperate.

Both Tevanon and Kensic knew what that meant. It meant the members of the Elite Guard of Detoa had been hijacked and the jewel stolen. Disappointed by this unexpected news, the brothers found a nearby inn where they could stay for the night. The main entry led to a dimly lit common area with various tables set around a large circular hearth. It was a place for eating and drinking and being merry. On this afternoon, though, being merry was not part of anyone’s demeanor.

Tevanon and Kensic: Turlot

by Tyson Clarke

MG/YA Fantasy

Paperback & ebook, 304 pages
October 19th 2015

Upon the shores of the Laughley Sea, in the shadows of the jagged Northland Mountains and not so far south as the blistering Aronee Desert, there exists a land of lush forests and golden plains. This land is known as Lynsid, a once great nation that has suffered through more than a decade of demoralizing wars. The brothers Tevanon and Kensic were born to Lynsid like their parents and grandparents before them. They know no other life and have never been outside the borders of their homeland. Lynsid, however, is on the verge of collapse and rumors of a Vlagen invasion spur a mass migration. At first, the brothers have no intention of leaving their birthplace, but soon enough they have no choice and find themselves on the trail to a land called Turlot where their Great Uncle Welksley resides.

At just thirteen-years-old, Tevanon is already highly skilled in swordsmanship, and his nine-year-old brother Kensic is mentally gifted. These attributes are useful, but the journey to Turlot will test not only their brawn and brains, but also their faith and tactfulness. The brothers learn quickly the world is filled with endless adversity. Treachery is in plain sight, evil sorcery is silently stirring, and an immortal army is lying in wait! If the brothers wish to survive, they must be vigilant, they must be brave, and they must believe in themselves.

Tyson Clarke attended San Jose State University where he studied creative writing and film production. Post graduation, he found success as a technical writer then pursued other interests before rediscovering his passion for writing stories with encouragement from his wife and biggest fan.

Saturday, January 23, 2016

Don’t miss COMICS SQUAD: LUNCH! (Random House Books for Young Readers | On sale January 26, 2016 | Ages 7–10), an all-star tribute to classic Sunday comics that includes eight sidesplitting, action-packed stories about every kid’s (and, let’s be honest, every adult’s!) favorite time of the day—lunch!

This book has a dream team of bestselling authors and timeless series, including Jeffrey Brown (Darth Vader and Son and Jedi Academy), Jennifer Holm (three-time Newbery Honor winner and author of Babymouse), Jarrett Krosoczka (two-time Children’s Choice Award winner for Lunch Lady), and The Peanuts, along with Cece Bell (Newbery Honor and Eisner Award–winning author of El Deafo), Nathan Hale (Eisner Illustrator of the Year nominee for Rapunzel's Revenge and Calamity Jack), Matthew Holm (Eisner Award winner and illustrator of Babymouse), Jason Shiga (author of Meanwhile and Empire State: A Love Story (Or Not)), and Cecil Castelucci and Sara Varon (author and illustrator of Odd Duck).

Do you like laughing till milk comes out of your nose? Look no further than COMICS SQUAD: LUNCH! Lunchtime can be fun, wild, terrifying, yummy, or downright disgusting. And in this second collection of comics, it is definitely hilarious.

COMICS SQUAD: LUNCH! is the second installment of the Comics Squad series. The first book in the series, COMICS SQUAD: RECESS! Quickly garnered acclaim among kids, parents, librarians, and educators, and was praised as “lively, upbeat, and all-around-awesome” in a starred review from Kirkus. Fans of COMICS SQUAD: RECESS will devour COMICS SQUAD: LUNCH!

COMICS SQUAD: LUNCH! is a must-read for comic-book enthusiasts of all ages.

There are eight different comics in this book, all revolving around lunch! I don't read comics like I used to so I was interested to read this collection. They were all so different. I really enjoyed "Lunch Bomb 43" by Nathan Hale. He shares a true story from WWII about how potatoes were used to sink a Japanese submarine. I thought it was a clever way to share history in a book about lunch. "Cave Soup" by Jeffrey Brown was a fun way to show that we have more in common with neanderthal's than we sometimes think. "Lunch Girl" by Jarrett J. Krosoczka shows how a girl deals with a bully at lunchtime. "The Case of the Missing Science Project" by Jason Shiga uses the choose your own ending format. You follow the arrows and make decisions to see how the story will turn out.This was fun to read and I did enjoy some of them more than others. If you love comics, this is a good one to add to your collection!I'm excited to share a panel with you from "Babymouse: Lunch Table Champion" by Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm. Babymouse's lunch table was taken over so she turns to the story of Robin Hood to take it back. It turns into a mean game of dodgeball with a funny twist at the end. Check out the other blogs to see panels from the other comics!

Friday, January 22, 2016

Piggy Sense! Save It for a Rainy Day, by Reed Abbitt Moore
2015, 32p, Children's Book
My Rating=4 Stars
Source: Received a copy from the author for an honest review

Piggy Sense! is a fun educational children's book that will instill in children the basic fundamentals of work ethics, saving money, and spending wisely.

This is a good book to help introduce children to the concept of earning and saving money. It follows a young boy who starts off with a penny and shows how he's able to make it grow. He also talks about the importance of not wasting his money on unnecessary items and having extra to help out someone else.

The illustrations are bright and fun! At the end, there are two pages of currency showing the value of each. The very last page is a ledger where children can start their own Piggy Sense account, along with some great quotes about hard work and goals which are geared towards adults. If you're looking for a book to help your children understand money better, this is one you will want to check out!

Reed Abbitt Moore is an artist located in the heart of Salt Lake City, Utah. His creative endeavors include not only writing children's books, but also poetry and song writing. He is also an entrepreneur and inventor. His talent brings the stories he writes to life. His genuine authenticity comes through in everything he creates.

Protecting her from the fallen was his duty.
Falling in love was never part of his plan.
Loving her was forbidden.
Being with her was all that mattered, even if it meant he would be exiled for all eternity.

Claudia Emerson’s life is about to change when her good friend, who coincidentally shares the same first and last name, dies in a tragic accident. Distraught at the loss of her friend, Claudia’s dreams become tumultuous, and through them she mysteriously travels to another world called Crossroads. There, she unexpectedly meets Michael, a nephilim–half angel, half human. Now that she’s been there, fallen and demons are after her, suspecting she must be special, and it is up to Michael and the other nephilim to protect her. Her dream becomes a nightmare as more secrets are revealed about who she really is, and the true identities of the people she loves most.

Praise for Crossroads

“Crossroads by Mary Ting has it all: danger, romance, suspense, incredible characters and an original plot that is sure to thrill. The action never stops as good and evil battle to the death. This well written and fascinating love story will keep readers entranced.”
~ReadersFavorite.com

“Love is in question. Trust is debatable. No one is safe. Between by Mary Ting is an enchanting, nail-biter that will leave you breathless from the exquisite cover to the thrilling end.”
~Gabby, Nashville Young Adult Fiction Examiner/What’s Beyond Forks

“Crossroads is an exciting debut book with a rich paranormal mythology, unique angel-lore, forbidden romance, action, suspense and plot twists. With her detailed writing and a plot that flow wells, Mary created a world I enjoyed visiting, and a story that was hard to put down.”
~Katie with Mundie Moms

“Beyond is an extraordinary story with unforgettable characters, passionately written by an author who clearly understands the true identity of love. Compelling and exciting; this is a must-read for all hardcore fans of the paranormal romance genre.”
~Angie Edwards @ Books4Tomorrow

“Reading the Crossroads Saga has always put me in a very ethereal place while turning its pages. In BEYOND, Mary Ting takes it to another level and I embrace the new darkness with open wings just like Michael would with his heart-shaped wings”
~Yara, Once Upon A Twilight

Bestselling/award-winning author Mary Ting resides in Southern California with her husband and two children. She enjoys oil painting and making jewelry. Writing her first novel, Crossroads Saga, happened by chance. It was a way to grieve the death of her beloved grandmother, and inspired by a dream she once had as a young girl. When she started reading new adult novels, she fell in love with the genre. It was the reason she had to write one-Something Great. Why the pen name, M Clarke? She tours with Magic Johnson Foundation to promote literacy and her children’s chapter book-No Bullies Allowed.

BookBlast Giveaway

$50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash

Ends 1/31/16

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.